Gun-carriage.



No. 707,399. Patented Aug. I9, |902 A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUCKHAM.

GUN CARRlAGE.

Application filed Feb. 11, 1902.I

5 Sheets-Sheet l,

-No Model.)

N0. 707,399. Patnted Aug. I9, |902.

DAWSON 8; G. T. BUCKHAM.

GUN CARRIAGE.

(Application led Feb. 11, 1902.)

5 Sheets Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

llul

maa/@ 5565 Patented Aug. i9, |902. A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUGKHAM.

GUN CARRIAGE.

(Application fixed Feb. 11, 1902.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

No. 707,399. Patened Aug. I9, 1902.

. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUCKHAM.

GUN CARRIAGE.

(Application led Feb. 11, 1902.)

Patented Aug. I9, |902. AA. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUGKHAM.

No. 7o7,399.

GUN CARRIAGE.

(Application filed Feb. 11, 1902.)

V5 She'ets-Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

' be drawn either by three or four horses.

'or a pole.

NITED STATES :PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUGKHAM, oFvvEsT- MINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, AssIGNoRs To vIoKERs soNs` t MAXIM, LIMITED, or WEsTMINsTER, LONDON, ENGLAND.

`cuti-CARRIAGE.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 707,399, dated August 19,

Application filed February 11, 1902. Serial No. 93,596. (No medal.)

.To all 107mm it 72mg/ conccrmf Be it known that We, ARTHUR TREVOR vented certain new and usefullmprovements which the in Gun Carriages or Mountings, of following is a specification.

This invention has reference to gun carriages or Inountings, and is more particularly, -although not exclusively, applicable tol light Inoun'tings for gu'ns of the class commonly termed pom-pome and other quick firers.'

According to our invention the mounting is a two-Wheeled carriage adapted to carry the gun and ammunition and is arranged to It has a steel frame built up of main girders and angle-ironssuitablyconnected. Attachedv to the front of the said frame is a steel plate for the protection of the ammunition, and at the rear of the frame is aspliiiter-bar fitted with hooks to receive the singletrees and with brackets for the attachment of draft-shafts When draft-shafts are used,vthey are provided with 'shoes at their outer ends and are stiiened with trussed stay-rods,which vextend from the frame to the ends of the shafts. Props may be hinged to the frame and so. arranged that they can be turned down to the ground .to support the shafts whenrequired. When a draft-pole is used, A`it is like the shafts, provided with a shoe at its outer end. A hinged U.shaped stay or prop is also provided for assisting in supporting the polewhen the gun' is'being fired.

The top carriage of themountingis constructed with a socket secured between the main girders.- It-h`as a cross-headpwhich receivesthegun andpwhich is pivoted in the socket and secured by a bolt and nut. The said cross-.head has a rearward extension or arm for the support ofthe elevating-gear.

This arm slides on a traversing segment located between, the main girders and is provided with Aa clamping-screw to Aenable the cross-head to be securedin any position within the training limits.

The ammunition is carried in boxes secured on the top o f the frame and divided into compartments so arranged that the gun can be fed'dircctly from any of them. Each compartment may have an inner lid or cover provided withsuitable catches for engaging with a series of holes or notches within the coinpartments, so that the saidinner lid or cover can be adjusted in any desired raised or lowered position for keeping the ammunition securely packed, even if the rounds be partly expended. y

The aforesaid frame of the carriage may be rigidly attached to the wheel-axle Orfsup-` ported on springs. When it is supported on springs, we provide adevice for readily locking the axle and frame together during ring, thereby rendering the said ,springsl temporarily inactive and the gun rigid.

In order that our said invention Vmay be clearly understood and readily carriedinto eiect, we will describe the same more fully with'V reference tothe accompanying drawings, in Which' Figure lisa side'elevation of agus-carriage constructed in accordance with our invention, one of the Wheels having been removed.

Fig.l 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 a front elevation,

of the said gun-carriage. Fig.. 4 is a. plan showing one of the'compartments of. the ammunition boxes and its inner adjustable cover. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 1 l of Fig. '4; Figs. 6 and 7 are elevations of a portion'of the wheel-axle, showing a slightlymodified form of the vvdevice employed for throwing the springs of the carriage into and out of action.. Fig.r8 isa plan, andA Fig. 9 an end elevation, of the said device. Fig. '10 is a side elevation of a modified form of theguncarriage, and Fig. l1 is a plan thereof.

Like letters of'reference` indicate .similar parts -i'n all the Iguresl A is the gun; B, the carriageaxle; C, the

frame of the carriage. "D D arethe springs for supporting said frame on the axle. E is the top carriage; F, the draft-shafts.

are the ammunition-boxes. Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, the said frame is provided at the front lwith the steel Aplate or' .F are in iiring position.

' the frame C, saidl carriage being furnished with a cross-head e, in wv 'ch the gun is trunn'ioned, and also with a rearwardly-extending arm e', connected with the screw H of the elevating-gear. The said arm is adapted to slide laterally over a fixed arc or segment c, Fig. 2, when the gun is traversed by the gunner through the intervention ot the crutch orv shoulder-piece A', and said arm can be locked in any desired position on said segment c' by a'suitable clamp a, Fig. 1.

The ammunition-boxes G G are secured to the frame C upon opposite sides of the gun, and they are divided into compartments, each of which is provided with the inner lid or cover g. (See Figs. 4 and 5.) This cover is furnished with a stud g' at one end and a bolt g2 at the other end. The walls of the compartments adjacent to the ends of the cover are formed with a vertical series of notches gS g3, with any of which said stud and bolt on the cover can be caused to engage, in accordance with the height to' which said cover is to be adjusted. In the position in which said cover is represented by the full lin-es in Fig. 5 it is at its lowest point. By adjusting this cover in accordance with the amount of ammunition within the compartments said ammunition will be eftectually prevented from unduly shaking about when the mounting is being moved from place to place. The saidcover is also provided with a leather handle g4 for facilitating its removal and adjustment. l The said bolt g2 is formed with a bent portion to engage with an eye g5 when inits locking position, said bolt being retained in this position by a tongue gs, passed through said eye.l 1 1 The springsD, by which the frame of the carriage is resiliently supported on the axle B, bear at their lower ends upon socketed flanges b b, Figs. 1 and 3, projecting radially from the axle, and at their upper ends said l springs bear against sockets on the under side of the frame C.- The girders CX are vertically slotted for the axle B to pass through,

said slots also serving as guides for the frame as it vibrates on the axle when the springs are operative.

b' is a screw-spindle, which extends verti- -cally through the axle and is provided with a handle b2 for revolving it. Its inn'er end can thus be caused to abut firmly against the under si e of the frame C, and when in such positionthesaid frame becomes locked to the axle, so that it cannot vibrate thereon. The springs are thus rendered temporarily inactive and the gun is firmly locked to the axle, so as to be rigid during firing. By turning said screw-spindle so as to bring its inner end `away from the frame C the springs can be rendered operative again and the frame C becomes resilient with respect to the axle, as is necessary when the carriage is traveling.

In Figs. o' to J We have shown a somewhat modified form ofthe device for rendering the springs I) inoperative. In this case We provide a strong cross-piece B', having forked ends B2 to slide vertically on the axle B. Midway of its length is a screw-threaded boss B3, with which the screw-spindle BL engages. The lower end of' this spindle passes vertically through the axle B and at its lower extremity receives a hand-wheel for revolving it. This hand-wheel and a collar B, carried by the screw-spindle at a point above the axle, prevent said spindle from moving longitudinally. Secured to the main girders CX of the frame C arebrackets c2 c2, which are so situated that they occupy a position above and in alinement with the said crosspiece B. Therefore when the cross-piece is elevated by revolving the screw-spindle Bl in the proper direction said cross-piece bears `firmlyl against the under side of the said brackets (see Fig. 6) and prevents the frame C from vibrating en the'axlc or, in other `Words, renders the springs I) inoperative.

By revolving said screw-spindle in the opposite direction the cross-piece can be caused to descend into the position represented in Fig. 7, whereby the brackets c2 are liberated and the said springs D permitted to become operative.

i Referring now to Figs. 10 and Il, the draftshafts are substituted by a draftpole F, which is firmly secured in brackets C5 Ci on the frame C. It is provided with a shoe C7, which has aspade to enter the ground when the pole is in ring position. It also has an eye Cs -for limbering up. The aforesaid bracket C5 has hinged thereto the prop or stay C9, which when in the lowered position (representedby the full lines in Fig. 10) enters the groundand assists in supporting the pole-in the ltiring position. This stay is of U-shaped cross-section, so that when out of use it can be turned up about its hinge to lie snugly against the pole F', as represented by the dotted lines in Fig'.10. In thisposition it is retained by a strap C10 or other appropriate means. In other respects the carriage illustrated by these figures is similar to that illnstrated by Figs. l to 5, and therefore needs no further description.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is-

1. In a gun-carriage, the combination with the wheel-axle and the frame, of springs interposed between said axle and frame, a crosspiece capable of sliding vertically on said axle, a vscrew-spindle carried by the axle and adapted to actnate said cross-piece when revolved, and brackets on the frame against which said cross piece can bc caused to irmly abut substantially as and for the pur# pose specified.

' 2. In a gun-carriage, the combination with the wheel-axle and the frame, of a draft-pole secured' in brackets on said frame, a spadesho'e and a limbering-up eye at the outer end of said pole, a hinged prop of U-section on one of said brackets and means for retaining said prop in its raised position when the carriage is traveling substantially as described.-

3. In a gun-carriage, the combination with the Wheel-axle and the frame, of ammunitionboxes carried by the frame on opposite sides of the gun and divided into compartments, adjustable inner lids or covers Within said compartments and means for locking said lidsin the desired adjusted position relatively to the ammunition in the compartments vsubstantial ly as and for the purpose described.

4. In a gun-carriage, the combination with the wheel-axle and the frame, of ammunitionboxes carried by the frame on opposite sides of the gun and divided into compartments, adjustable inner lids or covers within said compartments, a stud at one end of each of said lids and a bolt at the other end for engaging with a series of vertical notches Within the compartments, an eye on the lid for `a curved portion of the bolt to engage with, a tongue for passing through said eye to retain the bolt in its engaging position and a handle for facilitating the movement of said lid substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands, in presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 30th day of January, 1902.

y Witnesses: Y

CHRISTOPHER TURNER, HENRYv KING. 

